Supermodel Bella Hadid is known to protest and go to rallies in support of Palestine. In May of 2021, Hadid attended a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City and posted a photo on her Instagram with the caption, "The way my heart feels...To be around this many beautiful, smart, respectful, loving, kind and generous Palestinians all in one place..it feels whole! We are a rare breed!" In the photo, she was standing next to Waseem Awawdeh, a 23-year-old man who was arrested days after the protest for allegedly beating up Joey Borgen, a Jewish man, calling him a "filthy Jew."
Not only did she not say anything after he was arrested but what she did a year later shocked most of the world.
Hadid took to her Instagram story "begging" everyone to stand up against antisemitism and even said that it has been a "rough couple of days" for her.
"To say that for the past two days it hasn't been hard to celebrate my birthday or to not think of the things that have been posted on the street or said on public platforms, I would be lying," she stated on her first Instagram story.
"To allow any form of antisemitism to slip by, as desensitized as the world has become, it would be a disservice to my friends, the families I have grown up with, the people I love and work with, myself and even the Palestinian cause."
"Because what we stand for is NOT hatred or violence. I will continue to be a voice for the innocently targeted no matter who you are or where you come from. With that being said, this is NOT okay. Antisemitism, or targeting any innocent Jewish person, anywhere, will never be okay. I can't stress how important it is for my following to hear this loud and clear."
"Bella Hadid is one of the largest propagators of antisemitism on social media. She's insulting our intelligence if she thinks we believe her condemnations of Jew-hatred,"
Liora Rez, Executive Director of StopAntisemitism
She continues on a second Instagram story. "It is a scary place to live in where discrimination or death wishes are something of our everyday. It is scary that most people would swipe past something so horrendous and unknowingly go on with their life, completely unaware of how it could affect another human being. But there is a point where we all have to speak up."
Many questions are being brought up at this point. Is she referring to her father's antisemitic post from Friday where he compared the Jewish people to Hitler? Or is she condemning Kanye West's recent antisemitic posts?
She then continued to say that she has Jewish friends who feel targeted and threatened due to the rise of antisemitism.
"If you feel something is wrong in your heart. Speak up," she continues. "There are people that I love in this world, people that happen to be Jewish, that feel scared by the words that have been used. They feel targeted, they feel uneasy and they feel confused."
"There is generational trauma resurfacing. Generational trauma of their ancestors being tortured and taken. There is self-doubt. These are triggers. And I am here to say that if you see something, say something.
"To my Jewish loved ones, the Jewish communities worldwide, I am here to say that you belong, you are worthy and your right as a human being is to be ALIVE. Just the same as any other race, religion, shape, or size. No one can choose where they come from, what is in their blood, or who they are. And no one should be judged for the things they cannot control."
In her third and last Instagram story, she wrote calling out to her followers that they should stop the hate and prevent that from happening.
"If you see ANYONE saying something antisemitic, or being hostile to anyone who might be different from them, call them out. If they are acting on hate, call them out. Every. Time. Let them know there is no room for that kind of behavior in this world.
"To separate us would be the biggest downfall of all," she continues. "We need to stand together always. The same way I expect hated against 'my' people, 'your' people, or 'their' people to be denounced, I will time and time again denounce ALL antisemitism worldwide."
The responses to Hadid's Instagram
"Bella Hadid is one of the largest propagators of antisemitism on social media. She's insulting our intelligence if she thinks we believe her condemnations of Jew-hatred," Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism told The Jerusalem Post.
StopAntisemitism took to Twitter and wrote, "Is Bella Hadid's statement regarding antisemitism an April Fool's joke? Hadid is one of the grossest offenders of propagating Jew hatred on social media and often surrounds herself with the most rabid antisemites and those that assault Jews!"
Is Bella Hadid’s statement regarding antisemitism an April Fool’s joke? Hadid is one of the grossest offenders of propagating Jew hatred on social media and often surrounds herself with the most rabid antisemites and those that assault Jews! pic.twitter.com/FG0iCP1Ddb
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 12, 2022
As well as posting pictures of Hadid with the founder of Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and one of the largest antisemites in New York City, Nerdeen Kiswani.
Hadid spent last night w/Nerdeen Kiswani, founder of the dangerous group WOL (Within Our Lifetime) & one of the largest antisemitic propagandists in NYC pushing the ‘Globalize the Intifada’ movement.Kiswani & her followers are responsible for numerous assaults on Jews. pic.twitter.com/SAiF3enGCx
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 12, 2022
Hadar Cohen, who identifies as an Arab Jew, screenshotted Hadid's stories and put them on hers praising Hadid for what she said. "Palestinian voices tend to be the strongest allies against antisemitism in the international community," she said.
"Anyone who tries to position Jews and Palestinians against each other is ignorant of the deep love between our communities and not aligned with our vision for justice," Hadar continued.
Hadar's next Instagram story then said, "Yes, Israel is a Jewish supremacist state, but being against it doesn't mean being against Jews." But it is.